Inazuma!

Well, it's one of those rare occasions I'm thankful towards the World Cup it seems. It might even be the first occasion. Inazuma Eleven has been confirmed for a release outside of Japan at long last! Perhaps more surprisingly, it's been announced for Europe before the US.

I've been interested in Inazuma Eleven for a while. It's a football RPG by Level 5, who I'm finding myself increasingly impressed with every time I get around to playing one of their games. As it's for the DS, the touch screen is obviously involved in some way, but from the footage I've seen it looks as if it'll work rather well, rather than feeling somewhat fiddly.

Furthermore, the anime is going to be aired in Europe. Doubt it'll reach terrestrial, but regardless, I'm pretty interested in the prospect of both of these reaching Europe! I assume football games have changed a while since I last played one as well, which was all the way back in 2000, which was almost purely for the career mode in ISS. Good times!

The World Labyrinth

Well, Christmas is steadily approaching. I've got the usual backlog of games to get through at this time of year, at a time when I'm most likely going to receive at least one extra (not that I'm complaining about that, oh no). Instead, what I'm going to simultaneously rejoice and complain about is the fact that another RPG I really want to play has appeared on the horizon.

For some reason I wasn't expecting another title in the series, but at long last, Etrian Odyssey 3 has been announced and revealed. I was already sold on hearing it, without having heard of the additions this time around, which look to be quite large compared to the second game. Five extra classes have been added this time, with perhaps the best ones being Pirates and Ninjas. Other additions are Princess, Monk and Phalanx, which judging from the picture will be some kind of variation on the Paladin.

The main attraction seems to be sailing. The maps look pretty damn huge for that section, along with quite a few new icons for map making. The thing that really intrigues me about that though is the setting, and what it might mean for this game's particular story. With the first game focused on descending deep down into the earth, then the second focused on ascending a tree into the sky, what could happen with a naval setting? At the moment, I can only assume it's either venturing to the ocean floor, or sailing to the edge of the world. Either sound appealing to me, but then as I said earlier, I'm already sold.

Final Remake Quest I

So, as many are probably aware, I'm really into RPGs. For some reason that escapes me, it seems to be a genre that gets more remakes than any other. Not that I'm complaining, personally I'm really keen on them. I'm not entirely sure why either, but the idea of replaying a game I've already been through with a few more tweaks, graphically or otherwise, is something that is more appealing to me than actually playing something new.

I'm not completely sure of the reason why, the main thing that comes to mind is that it's the closest thing there is to a combination of old and new. They maintain the retro feel of an old RPG, especially with a traditional Good vs Evil storyline, produced with the technology and in many instances, the improved scriptwriting of today.

The Good vs Evil storyline is definitely something that appeals to me, even with the cliches that go with it. I suppose the main reason for that is that I'm fond of the characters being clearly defined in simple black and white terms, with the rare character who has shades of grey in their moral compass. This is opposed to many modern RPGs where most characters have shades of grey in their character, and are somewhat morally ambiguous. For me, I find it more interesting when it's only a handful of characters have something suspicious in their past, rather than every character having something special about them.

Perhaps I've become somewhat sceptical over the years towards new RPGs. The more I'm writing about this topic, the more I find myself remembering the games that are particular offenders. Obviously, there are exceptions to this, my options would be extremely limited if I only played remakes. To an extent, it's probably more the fact that I enjoy the setting and feel of a classic RPG, as there's been a handful of new RPGs lately that have a retro feel to them, such as Dark Spire and Etrian Odyssey. Hopefully this doesn't mean it's just a case of rose-tinted glasses, due to them being new titles, but I'm not ruling out the possibility.

Actually, it's occured to me that most of what I've written here is essentially a side topic to what I meant to say from the beginning. I'll have to have a follow up article I think, there's potentially a lot of things I could talk about on this topic, as this post has actually proven.

The Velvet Room

Quite often, I find myself trawling around the internet for merchandise related to things that I like. It's one of the many productive ways I spend my free time. Every now and then, I learn of something that's completely passed me by and is, by that time, old news.

Which is just what happened a couple of days ago! I recently learnt of a second concert for live renditions of music from Persona. The first event was something I was completely unaware of until now. Having listened to some of the music though, I actually really like how it's done. Live music isn't something I'm particularly keen on, with a few exceptions. I guess part of it is the novelty of a different version of a song I'm already keen on.

Regardless, I'd be tempted to try and get a hold of the music from this second concert. There's a DVD of the first one floating around, which is somewhat pricey (admittedly I don't know what sort of price live concert DVDs go for), but I could be tempted.

A return to Minegarde, Sinnoh and blogging.

It's all been a bit silent on here recently, with good reason, but the few readers I have can rest assured, this blog remains active! It's mostly a combo of working a lot at university and having less time to play games. Either of those could be argued as positive things, but that's for another time! Another factor is that I've not been playing anything that's new to me lately. So, you may wonder, what prompted this update? Well, I've been playing old games!

Firstly, an old favourite, Monster Hunter! Having met a few people at university who are into it, I've been attempting some quests with players new and old. I also managed to complete my second set of armour! An occasion that's all too rare for me, I'm often in a mix-matched set of whatever I can get my hands on. So, I'm now kitted out in a rather lovely set of Tigrex armour. Despite the better gear though, Kushala Daora is still a major issue for me. It seems to be my Everest.

Secondly, Pokemon Diamond! The amount of people I've met who are fans of this is pretty staggering, especially as I hardly knew a single person in my hometown who actually played it. It's been really good though, I've rediscovered just how good it is, training up new Pokemon and refining my current team. It's a lot better than I remember, which I assume is to do with the multiplayer aspect of it. Another aspect is that I've not bothered with a lot of the more recent Pokemon before, so I've been paying some attention to those. As a result, I've become quite a fan of Croagunk, he's a pretty awesome looking dude.

So, unfortunately this is a brief update. But what's to expect afterwards? I've got a few things in mind, almost entirely themed around games and figures, but there may be some new things I'll branch out into. Potentially a few new games on the way at some point as well, so there will be updates, I just can't assign myself to a routine at the moment. Expect things to be even more sporadic on here!

Good times.

Unlock the Underworld!

I've never really been a fan of Nihon Falcom. The Ys series has confused me with the sheer number of versions that exist, with remakes of the first game still on the way. I'm never sure which version will offer the best experience, so I tend not to bother in the end. As for Legend of Heroes, I've been tempted on a couple of occasions, but actually locating them has proved to be an issue. So why then, have I taken an interest in the PSP remake of a relatively unsuccessful dungeon crawler? It's at this point that I'd like to state it's not for the scantily clad wizard girl on the front cover.

The game is Brandish, and I only became aware of it due to a rather vocal minority who seemed excited about the prospect of a remake. I gave the SNES version a try, as I'm considering going for the remake. Firstly, it had aged badly. Admittedly many games I like have done the same, but this seemed poor even considering that. Regardless, I stuck with it, and it ended up being pretty fun. The best way I can describe it is an adventure game crossed with a rogue-like, with the usual addition of RPG elements. Nothing amazing, but a fun way to pass the time.

Interestingly, the remake seems to be mostly the same, with most of the update focusing how the game looks and handles rather than changing the core mechanics. So, considering how I've enjoyed a really dated version, I reckon I'm sold on this remake. Plot was light, so I could probably stumble my way through with my limited knowledge of Japanese. Although with any luck a localised version won't be too far off. Plus, scantily clad wizard girl is playable in this edition, so that definitely helps. A little.

I'm yet to find out how to stop widescreen youtube videos messing up the formatting on this blog, since I'm just that talented in my knowledge of how to code such things. So for now, a link to the page will have to suffice!

Nano!

No, despite the title of this update, this is nothing to do with an iPod in any shape or form. No, this is something much worse than that. This is another occasion where my obsession with videogames and figures rears it's ugly head.

One of my favourite games on the DS is Etrian Odyssey. A slow paced, first person dungeon crawler that offers little reward to the player for struggling through. It's certainly got a classic feel to it, with minimal plot and a no-frills battle system. It's exactly what I began to crave though, with RPGs becoming bigger and fancier, I felt myself drawn towards the core values of the genre.

It's also got some of my favourite character design. To the extent that I frequently find myself checking the blog of the artist, Yuji Himukai in the hope of seeing some new drawings of the cast, which he does from time to time. Naturally, when there's a new figure from the series I find myself oh-so-tempted to order it. Which I have done on numerous occasions. This time however, I accidentally became aware of a whole series of figures, due in the next few months.


Like with a few other figures from the series, these are being manufactured by Wave, who I've only got a few figures by, but I've always found the small details they have to be very endearing, details which are often lacking from others. So, figures from a game I love, with character design I obsess over, by a manufacturer that I find myself steadily impressed with. I get the feeling my wallet may be hurting soon.

There's a knock at the door!

Those who know me will most likely know that I'm a fan of RPGs, Japanese ones in particular. Admittedly my interest is marginally less rabid than it used to be, but I still have a large interest in the genre. But, a couple that I've been playing through lately got me thinking. Just a short while ago, I finished Devil Survivor. Generally, games in the Shin Megami Tensei series are harder than most other RPGs, in my experience at least, with frequent difficulty spikes being the lesser of evils to worry about.

It's certainly more of a challenge than Final Fantasy, which seems to steadily get easier as time goes by. Best example I can think of is in X, where your party is healed for using a save point, which is located right outside an inn. Traditionally inns are used to heal your party, which means you can simply heal your party without the penalty of paying to use the inn. Not only that, save points littered throughout dungeons, so you're pretty safe.

Which is something that really gets to me, on the really nerdy levels, because I've always perceived an adventure as something where the characters put themselves at risk for the sake of saving the world. Now, with that previous example of Final Fantasy X, there's little to no risk. If I were to use the example of Shin Megami Tensei 3, where a boss appears towards the end of a dungeon right before a save point, then there's certainly some risk involved there. Both games are on PS2 and came out within a few years of each other, so it's a fair comparison to make.

But, this is beside the point really. Neither of these games are what I want to talk about. What I really want to mention is Phantasy Star 2, another JRPG that came out over a decade before those two. Thanks to the Mega Drive Collection on 360, I've revisited a lot of older games. Now, I've played it before via emulation, but I always find that anything I emulate is rarely seen through to completion. No point in getting my money's worth I suppose. But this time I'm determined to at least see the later stages of the game.

But you know what? It's already doing it's best to stop me before the midway point. Usually in JRPGs, if a section is difficult, you can simply train for a bit and return with stronger characters, but even that proves to be challenging at times, with my characters frequently getting wiped out, and with weapons and armour being priced incredibly highly, that simple boost is out of my reach quite often.

The thing is though, I'm finding it addictive. The simple notion of my characters being weak, being frequently defeated when I'm moving from one town to another, or dreading each and every encounter as I try to escape a dungeon with only one, injured party member keeps me coming back for more. So much more than being overpowered and facing no challenge. Certainly, it can be argued that RPGs are plot centric, but these are still games, and therefore have to be played to be experienced.

I do find it reassuring though that older games such as these can be easily played thanks to collections and emulation. At least that way no matter how advanced new technology gets, the things that made me take an interest in the first place will always be around. I'm not really sure if there was much point to this post beyond "older games are really tough" and "I like challenge", but it's just been on my mind for a while now. Writing this out has also made me consider a few other things along a similar vein, so chances are I'll have a few more introspective posts like this in the near future.

Burning my dread (again)

Bit of a surprise announcement today, Persona 3 is being ported to the PSP, with the imaginative title of Persona 3 Portable. So far, little is known. It seems to allow you to play with a female lead character this time, or that's the assumption, as she's accompanied by a female version of the original lead character's persona. It's also apparently going to have the battle system from Persona 4, which is a nice addition as that gave you the ability to directly control your team, rather than hoping they did something you needed them to do. It's also out in November! So they wasted no time.

It does make me wonder though. Persona 1 has received an enhanced port to the PSP, Persona 3 is due out on the PSP soon, but there's been no news at all of Persona 2 being ported to it, when something like that would make sense. But as Persona 2 was a two parter, maybe they have something special planned for that. Plus! I've got to wonder if Persona 4 will be receiving the portable treatment. Not only that, maybe it gives hints as to what platform Persona 5 will be appearing on. Finally, I never thought I'd type "persona" so much in one paragraph.

Despite not knowing exactly how this deal with the new character will work, and having not seen any screenshots at all, I'm already sold on this. I mean, honestly, I'm not the sort of person who is able to turn down the prospect of slightly altered cutscenes in a game I've played through multiple times already. I know I've said it before, but I'm sure I choose the wrong hobbies sometimes.

A disjointed series of injokes

I'm never really sure what I think of Suda51's games. The story is usually odd for the sake of being odd, the gameplay itself is never really that impressive, sometimes intentionally bad, and there's often a lot of subtext that's hidden away which can be a major part of understanding what's going on. Usually, these either turn me away from a game. With Suda, I find myself drawn to them. So, along comes Flower, Sun & Rain on the DS. First time available in English, ported from the PS2 to the DS, and my second Suda game, the first being Killer7.

First off, the game itself features a great deal of walking. You'll often spend time walking down a motorway or a beach for up to five minutes at a time, sometimes more. You'll also have characters happily tell you how much you'll be walking more and more as the game progresses, and as the pedometer in the top corner steadily increases, you'll find you get better abilities. It's a bit like an RPG where you improve your character by walking. There are no shortcuts or modes of transport beyond walking and running, which does feel a bit like padding at times, but thankfully the lead character, Sumio Mondo, shows some annoyance about what he has to do. It's nice to have someone share the pain in a sense. The other major mechanic in the game is puzzle solving, which is entirely number based. Now, I've never been that great with numbers, but this is a game that features puzzles such as: lospass = 0445644; lunatics = ?, so I knew I was going to struggle.

However, I found my enjoyment doesn't come from actually doing those things. There are a lot of puzzles in this, all number based with some really obscure solutions (for example, the one I listed above is solved by counting the right angles in the letters), but I found myself enjoying how the solution to a puzzle is discovered along with interacting with the characters. For a lot of puzzles, you will receive a somewhat vague hint, and then you'll have to look in the hotel's guidebook (where else would you find a solution but in a guidebook, after all) and find a subtle reference to the vague hint, and then work the puzzle out from there. The other thing I enjoyed was how good the script is and how the characters are defined.

The story itself is centered about Sumio's latest job, where he's been called to Lospass Island to stop a terrorist planting a bomb on a plane. Upon arriving at the Hotel Flower, Sun & Rain and reaching his hotel room, he glances out the window to see the plane explode. Then he has a dream about a young girl trying to find her pink crocodile. Waking up the next morning due to a phone call from the front desk, he's told that breakfast is ready. Then he stumbles out of bed, quite literally, and reflects on what a strange dream he just had, and that he'd better stop the terrorist blowing up the plane.

From then on, the game is determined to prevent you from reaching your goal, with a resident of the hotel asking you to find something for them, followed by the plane exploding and you waking up back in your room the next day, determined to stop that plane exploding. You may have realised already, but this is a rather surreal game. But as it's by Suda51, that is to be expected. Music wise, it's also a bit of an oddity. Masafumi Takada, who usually seems to work with Suda has kind of done most of the music this time. I say most of, as the music generally consists of remixes of works by famous composers such as Debussy and Bach, with there being very few original songs in it. The game makes sure to point out that this is a pretty cheap decision by the designers.

I do kind of feel like I'm neglecting to mention something about Flower, Sun & Rain, but I also don't want to go too much into it, as a game focused on such a confusing mystery like this really needs to be experienced first hand to get the most out of it. That, and I can often go on endlessly about a game I'm really taken with. It's an odd one, but it's also an experience that I don't think I'd find anywhere else.

Tokyo Lockdown

I'm quite a big fan of the Shin Megami Tensei series. So when the most recent one, Devil Survivor, was revealed to be on the DS, which was a first for the series, and that it was also going to be a strategy game, another first, I was intrigued and concerned. I've nothing against the DS, so that wasn't an issue. It was more to do about the strategy side of it. Most of the ones I've played, which I admit is a small amount of the ones available, have been pretty good. But there are always some awful ones. I've played a few myself.

All concerns were alleviated when I actually got around to playing it though. Movement is like any other grid based strategy game, which isn't anything out of the ordinary. Being an RPG at the same time though, there are a variety of skills you can assign, that range from increasing movement range, to simply ignoring walls and stairs and just teleporting right next to an enemy. Actual combat though, is more like traditional SMT. Since the series moved to PS2, you were rewarded for abusing an enemy's weakness. Use a fire based attack on something made out of ice for example and you'll be rewarded with a bonus attack to deliver. The enemy gets the same chances though, so you have to think about who attacks what based on their strengths and weaknesses lest you walk right into a battle that wipes you out, which can and most likely will happen. Much better than some RPGs where you can simply select 'Attack' over and over to win the game.

Despite that though, it's not what has me hooked. A lot of RPGs, Japanese ones in particular, are very linear. Devil Survivor seems to be one of the rarities that allow you some degree of choice in how events play out. Based on your decisions throughout the game, certain characters may live or die. There's also a large range of responses you can make in cutscenes, which helps make you feel like you're relevant, rather than along for the ride. I have noticed that I'm acting nicer towards some characters than others though, in an attempt to keep them on my side and, hopefully, alive until the end. I've always been keen on stories where there's a large amount of risk involved for the characters. Again, not something that's too common in Japanese RPGs.

I've yet to finish it, but it already feels like the sort of RPG that I'm going to play through more than once, which is unfortunately not a regular occurrence.

Vocaloid!

For the past couple of weeks, I've been playing quite a lot of Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA on PSP. It can be a bit complicated explaining quite what that is though. It's not every day that you play a rhythm game by Sega featuring a virtual idol who is the face of synthetic singing software by Yamaha. Although she's also featured on a Super GT racing team's BMW Z4, maybe a videogame isn't that odd.

The game itself is standard rhythm game fare, essentially consisting of pressing a sequence of buttons in time to a display, scoring points depending on how accurate you are. If you do well, you unlock extra songs, costumes and items for Miku's room. In Miku's room, Miku will simply wander about and interact with furniture and decorations that you put up for her. It's very simplistic.

Which seems to kind of be the point for Project DIVA. It's mostly feels like a game for existing Vocaloid fans where they can see Miku actually move about to songs, rather than fan made videos featuring a sequence of static images. There's even a feature to simply watch the music videos rather than play the rhythm game section.

Because of it's origins as music designing software, the game features a variety of composers and in some cases, animators for the dance routines. It's nothing spectacular, but it is fun, and the music is pretty damn catchy at times. I'm just glad I was already a fan!

Gatherin'

I don't often go to London. In fact, on this occasion I got lost a couple of times. But getting lost wasn't going to stop me, I had a mission to accomplish! I think I've mentioned it before, but Capcom have recently set up a Gathering Hall for Monster Hunter in London. I was pretty determined to experience it at least once.

For those who are unaware, Monster Hunter is best experienced as a multiplayer game. That's part of the reason it's been so successful in Japan, especially as most players are closer together and gaming is more common. Problem is, that's not the case here. So, Capcom have rented out part of a gallery in London for a couple of months to give players a convenient place to meet and play together. Only, not so convenient when you live closer to the Scottish border than London.

Regardless, I made my way there. As I was walking up Charing Cross Road, I was starting to wonder if I would notice it, I'd hate to walk right past it. I needn't have worried at all though, as seeing the front of a building with a Rathalos painted across it, along with "Gathering Hall" on the front, it was somewhat hard to miss. Some other people seemed intrigued as well, I saw a lot of people paying attention to the front as they walked by.

Anyway, I headed in, introduced myself, got myself a free t-shirt almost instantly (which is very nice by the way) and was then taken upstairs to where most players were. I only saw the lobby and the first floor, but I think there was maybe another floor above that. The decoration on the front also continued inside. The lobby had several weapons painted across the walls, whereas upstairs had various pieces of artwork and characters, along with the soundtrack playing in the background.

I quickly found a seat, received some free drinks, and started playing with a couple of others who were well above my level. At the time, I was Hunter Rank 2. The people I joined were both Rank 9, which is the current maximum I think. "What do you want to hunt?" they asked, so I explained that I'd been struggling a lot with Tigrex recently, only just defeating it before the 30 minute deadline was up. Two minutes later, they'd defeated one for me.

The rest of the session continued in this way, with them asking what I wanted to hunt and then they would continue to slaughter it incredibly quickly, with me offering some assistance, which was mediocre at best compared to them. They were very accommodating, and I probably didn't express my thanks as much as I should have. Later on in the session, one of the Capcom employees came in and said how they thought the Monster Hunter soundtrack kind of sucked, so they put some Daft Punk on instead. I'm pretty sure that fighting Lao Shan Lung, easily the biggest dragon in the game, to the sound of 'Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger' will probably be one of my favourite experiences with this game for some time.

Unfortunately, my time was limited. As I don't visit London often, there were some other places I wanted to see, so I did have to leave before I really wanted to. Eight hours on a train for two hours playing Monster Hunter is probably a good sign of dedication though, or stupidity. Probably somewhere between the two.

I'm certainly going to try and visit again before the place closes down. I really hope it's not a one off.

Vanguard Princess

There are never enough times when I'm impressed by a game I've never heard of before. Usually I'll just see a screenshot somewhere, be ever so slightly intrigued, find out what it is and then how I can play it. Which is exactly what happened with Vanguard Princess. Of course, it helped that it's a 2D fighter, I'm always more receptive to those than say, the latest generic shooting game with angry bald guys in the future.

Thankfully, it's one of the many games in the freeware doujin category, so finding a copy was relatively easy. Unfortunately little is known about the developer (or indeed, developers), as there's some really impressive sprites and music in this. The main thing known is that the lead behind the project is an ex-Capcom employee, which you could argue is a good start!

I'm yet to try every character in it, but so far, most have either been reminiscent of existing characters in fighting games as is the norm, or something new entirely, slightly similar to Street Fighter 3 in some senses. For example, the character I've currently settled on using, Kaede, has a variety of wall jumps, uses slashing attacks and spends a lot of time being pretty, very similar to Vega from Street Fighter. Whereas Luna, a scantily clad buxom mecha pilot is like no character I've used before, as all her attacks seem very contextual and occasionally get delayed. It's early days yet, but there's quite a lot of potential with these characters.

One big difference however is the idea of having an assist character. These usually follow you around in the background until you've built up enough charge on a separate meter to your super bar, at which point you're able to command them to do a variety of attacks or counters. There are only four, but my experience with them so far has been a good one, especially as an escape to a long combo. Most of them however are young girls, most of which look like rejects from magical girl shows.

Mentioning the looks of characters reminds me however. It's clear that the character designer knew what sort of market would play this. Which is an obvious observation to make really, but the characters are clearly aimed at anime and fighting game fans. The entire roster is all female, and usually in fighting games the women often wear clothing that's at least a little revealing. But as for Vanguard Princess, the most conservative bit of clothing in it is probably a skirt that goes to knee level.

That's probably beside the point however. It's really good fun to play, and a new 2D fighter these days is a rarity. Despite being a doujin game, the animation is probably better than a lot of commercial efforts. It looks great in motion, the music is catchy, and it's got some depth in it. It's going to be a good game to stay indoors with over these sunny days!

Unite!

Well, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is now released, and at the risk of making this a Monster Hunter related blog, I've decided to do a brief follow up with my impressions of the finished product.

Firstly, I absolutely love the Felyne companions. My interest about this edition was sparked by the possibility of having someone adventuring with me, mostly as I know very few people who play the game. So, I'm currently being assisted by a little cat called Jet, who loves weapons according to his profile.

Secondly, one feature I wasn't aware of before was the option of installing data to the PSP to cut down on load times and by extension, battery life. For a portable, that's a pretty awesome idea. It wasn't a particularly large install either, weighing in at around 560MB. Although as my memory stick is a measly 1GB, I'm considering an upgrade.

Now that I've given the Felyne companions a proper go, and the addition of installation, I can't help but think that MHFU is something more than just an expansion, as those two features really add a lot to it. Otherwise, it's business as usual, I haven't really progressed far enough to see the new content.

I'm certainly excited about the prospect though!

For the spirit of the hunt!

So, I've been having a little play around with that Monster Hunter Freedom Unite demo. As with most expansions, it's more of the same with extra content. Before I could get to that though, I had to deal with the abnormally strong glue that Capcom had used to keep the demo discs in the package.

After that obstacle was dealt with, it was onto the demo! My main focus was having a look at new monsters and areas, as such I only tried two out of the three scenarios. First off, I was to hunt a Hypnocatrice in the Great Forest, both of which are new to Unite I believe. I was also able to choose a Felyne companion, which are new to this edition. Rather than being solo all the time, offline players can get assisted by a small cat. I chose Kota to assist me, who was apparently best for close range fighters. Which is just as well as I was using my usual, the Long Sword.

First thing I noticed upon the start of the hunt is that you no longer have to find and then mark a monster, they're on the map right from the start. It saves some time, sure, but it was a feature I liked. Surely part of hunting is, well, hunting something. Anyway, it did enable my intrepid hunter, going by the imposing name of CAPCOM01 to get straight to work. Of course, as it's been a few months since I last played, he spent most of the encounter falling for basic mistakes and wasting some opportunities.

Regardless, CAPCOM01 prevailed. Although I did notice a lack of blood during the attacks. I'm not sure if it's been removed for the demo, and it did make critical hits easier to see, but it was slightly odd nonetheless.

Second hunt was going for a Plum Daimyo Hermitaur in the Old Desert region. This time I went for a Lance, something I've never really used before. My felyne assistant was Ginger, ideal for gunners and mostly used bombs. I just knew it was going to go well. The Hermitaur and their bigger relation, the Ceanataur are probably the monsters I enjoy fighting the most in Freedom 2. Admittedly there's very little skill involved, it usually just involves the two of us trading hits at close range until one collapses, but it's fun!

This time though, it went badly. The Lance is almost a complete opposite of the Long Sword. Instead of evasion, which I'm used to, it's more about solid defence and attacking when the chance is there. I didn't try this though, instead I chose to run at full speed, lance aimed right at the Hermitaur's face. Repeatedly. In the moments between my attacks, my Felyne ran at it while carrying bombs, in some kind of cat themed suicide run. It could have been the best offense if the attacks had connected and I didn't get blown away by the bombs. As expected, I lost that one.

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite probably won't win back anyone who disliked previous entries in the series. But it will provide even more content on top of the staggering amount that already exists. With Capcom's recent attempts to build up awareness of the series and bring in new players, along with multiple games on the way, Monster Hunter could stand a chance of succeeding in the west.

A chance that's well deserved.

Nuns with guns

Those who know me will most likely know that I like figures. Others will no doubt be aware that I also like fighting games. Issues arise when these two interests are combined. Especially when there are multiple things. Pricey things.

I was doing my usual trawl of the internet, when I became aware that there's a figure of my favourite character from Tsukihime and Melty Blood, Ciel. As it was only a thumbnail, I had to have a closer look.




I'm really tempted with it. It's not too often that there's merchandise of her in that outfit. Or with glasses. Both of which are integral parts of the character! Maybe. But anyway, it's manufactured by enterbrain, who seem to make quite a few models of Type-Moon characters, usually in high quality, usually expensive. This particular one is a rather fetching £60, way over the limit I try to stick to.

It doesn't quite end here though. Because of the accursed 'related products' section of the site, I became away that the same sculptor has made an alternate version of this Ciel. Different outfit, similar pose.




Again, it's another one that I really like. Admittedly I already have a figure of her in this outfit, also with the oversized stake cannon, but this is really nice. Unfortunately, it's also the same price. Ideally I'd like to go for both, but I know that's a bad idea. Ideally I'd have lots of money to afford such things too but that's not the situation.

Sometimes, I think I have a bad choice of hobbies.

Everyday hunting life!

I'm really quite impressed with how Capcom are pushing Monster Hunter in places other than Japan at the moment. Sure, lots of games get advertised, some with a lot more effort than others, but seeing as they're only now getting around to it with the expanded version of the second portable game, then it's better late than never. Almost seems like a novelty.




It's a bit more than I'm used to with demo discs. Last time I saw one, it was just in a plastic case and that was it. Instead, this has four discs, along with control scheme descriptions in multiple languages and how to enable the multiplayer. I've no idea how popular Monster Hunter is in mainland Europe, but it would appear Capcom are going to try and get it running there too.




I haven't actually tried the demo yet. I'm hoping it'll feature some decent solo content as that's all I'll probably be able to make use of. Regardless, I'm looking forward to what Capcom might do with the series next. But seeing as there's the Wii title on the way along with a gathering hall in London starting up next month, I'm somewhat intrigued to see what happens next.

More fighting!

So, another fighter is on the way to Europe, and Capcom are responsible again. Fate/Unlimited Codes Portable for PSP has recently been announced for a release by Capcom Europe. I could be wrong, but I think this is the first time a Fate game has been released outside of Japan. But, it's an actual game this time rather than a visual novel, so no doubt that has something to do with it.

Originally an arcade title, it was eventually ported to the PS2, and then eventually ported to PSP, but with additional characters and a simplified control system. I'm not sure how much it's been simplified, but as long as it's not as simple as Capcom vs SNK 2 EO, then it's fine by me.

Looks a little combo heavy for my tastes, but I kinda want this already.

Down right fierce

So, Street Fighter 4 has been out for a few weeks now, which is more than enough time for some merchandising to start doing the rounds. Some good, some bad.

The most important bit of merchandising is obvious. Figures. Which is where Mr Kenneth Masters steps in.




As you can probably see, there's a fair bit of detail to that. It's even using fabric for his gi, which is a nice touch I suppose, but I've never been sure about that. It's also eighteen inches in height, and has a rather fetching price of around £170.

Of course, maybe you don't like Ken. Maybe all his shoryukens and frequent moments of winking and giving a thumbs up at the camera has made you dislike him (although it shouldn't).

In that case, Capcom are continuing their Capcom Girls Collection, which has been going for a good few years now. The latest entry is the lovely Ms White.


Despite having a release date in July, for some reason they're not going for her classical look sported in Street Fighter 4, and is instead in her Alpha series outfit. The main problem with that is her beret isn't as awesome.

It's also got a much more reasonable price, coming in at around £55. So, some of the recent merchandising is pretty pricey, but often it's worth paying a bit more for some of these figures. They're often limited, and finding them after they've gone out of circulation can be incredibly frustrating.

That is, of course, if you like such things.

Street Fighter 4!

So, the intro is out on the interwebs now, and it's pretty damn smooth. I'm probably echoing a lot of other people's opinions if I say that I love the ink stylings that you get around the fighters, especially in that little sequence with Guile and Abel.

Still not entirely sure about the theme though. It has grown on me a little, but I think the saving grace is that the music that's been used on a lot of trailers turns up around halfway through. I'm also fairly sure that I prefer it to the music that Third Strike had, since that was just cringe worthy.

Saying that though, as music in fighting games go, it could always be worse!

Tokyo Beat Down

God damn. This looks like it could be one of the best games ever. Originally known as Yajuu Keiji, or Beast Detective, it offers a range of characters and multiple endings, while, most importantly having what looks to be some solid old school action going on.

I don't think the DS actually has any beat-em-ups on offer, so this is filling a rather important gap in the market. As Atlus are localising it, chances are it'll have a pretty good translation to top it off.



How could it get better? It's got gruff cops riding on APCs and firing rocket launchers!

Most played games of 2008

Okay, so I know a lot of places are doing, or indeed have done, a best of 2008 by now, but that's something I'd kind of struggle with.

You see, I've never really been one to keep up to date with new releases and such. With games in particular, there are many occasions where I'll choose to replay something I've finished rather than play something new. I'm not sure what the reason is, maybe it's comfort in the familiar, maybe it's just really liking the things I like.

So, instead, I'm going to make a top five list of the games I've whittled away most of the year with. Some of them are new, most aren't.

Devil May Cry 4

I never really got into Devil May Cry until the third game in the series. I did play the original, but I never understood what the point of it was supposed to be. It was only after repeated attempts to get into 3 that things finally clicked and I started having fun with it. Since I'd become so attached to 3 in such a little amount of time, I guess I became a bit protective of it, as I was pretty wary about the addition of a new lead character in 4, Nero.

Thankfully, that wariness was completely unfounded, as I find myself having more fun using Nero than I do with Dante, almost entirely due to the ability to grab and throw enemies around (although, I remember Capcom claiming that couldn't be done on last generation hardware, which I'm still unconvinced with.)

Either way, I'm even more keen on 4 than I was on 3. It's not without it's faults, the most popular being the fact that Dante's levels are just Nero's ones in reverse order. That's not really something I'm particularly concerned about though, as it's the sort of game that's made for replays. The other fault is a particularly infuriating platforming section in the early stages, which I can't try to excuse.

As with the aforementioned replays, it really does have a lot on offer. With multiple difficulties, most of which have to be unlocked, along with a huge amount of abilities that you can earn for Dante and Nero, it's just as well that it's a long lifetime game that you can dip in and out of.

Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike

This is certainly the oldest game featured in this list, but as it's a fighting game, it's got a nearly infinite supply of replay value. As with DMC, it took me a while to get into Street Fighter 3. I remember initially not being too keen on the range of characters it had to offer, with Ryu, Ken and Chun-li being the only recognised faces. It was some time before I realised that this is one of the best parts the game has to offer. It's nearly a fresh start.

In motion, it's absolutely gorgeous, the amount of animation that each character has is bordering on the obscene. Despite the fact that it originally came out in arcades in 1999, the only game that seems to have that level of animation is King of Fighters XII, which isn't even out yet!

The unfortunate side is, Street Fighter 3 doesn't really seem that popular with people outside of fans of the series. The character roster in Street Fighter 4 is a good indication of the fact, as so far it's done a good job of including characters from each game besides any iteration of 3. In fact, I think it's only in Tatsunoko vs Capcom that the new characters have had any kind of recognition, and even then it's only Alex. More Makoto and Ibuki are required in Capcom games!

Monster Hunter Freedom 2

I'm a big fan of Monster Hunter. I'm well aware that it's a love or hate game, but I can safely say that I'm on the loving side. In fact, I think it's the only game that I'm glad I own a PSP for. As such, the PSP spends many an hour on my bedside table, ready for when I decide to try a few missions first thing in the morning, or I'll occasionally hunt a few dragons on the bus.

Saying that though, while I really do love the game, I admit I do kind of suck of it, I've not beaten a single dragon in it, they're much too tough. But that is what I actually love about the game. Originally, I became very interested after learning that, with enough skill, it's possible to take on and defeat the last monsters in the game with basic weapons and next to no equipment being carried around. It does make me a little bit depressed when I have to upgrade my armour regularly to stand a chance against mid-game monsters, but the fact I've got that far is something I'm happy about.

The other thing that needs mentioning, is that I've only played solo so far. While I love it at this point, I've heard from many others that the game is much, much, much better when playing multiplayer. If I ever get to that point, I dread to think how much I'll love it.

Mass Effect

Just as well this game came out really, since this post seems to have become a bit of an "I love Capcom" one. Which is understandable, but I also love Bioware, and this game is a great example of why I do. It's hard to speak about Mass Effect without simply reiterating what other people have said before, so I guess all I can really do is talk about my thoughts and experiences with it. That's surely what you're here for after all.

While it's usually classed as a shooter/RPG, I'm going to have to make myself sound like an incredible fanboy and say that there's just so much more to it. Which is okay because I am an incredible fanboy. For a start, the magic equivalent in combat is fantastic fun to use. Called Biotics here, it's pretty much an excuse to do battle by messing around with physics. Charging into a room and making a bunch of people slam into the ceiling with a slight hand gesture is pretty awesome. There's also a range of attacks that focuses on technology, but I'm yet to give that a proper try yet.

Which is one of the things I like so much about it and it's why it's in this list. There's a huge amount of content to it. While you've got the usual good or evil responses to make use of, the quality of writing and the sheer number of things you can do is fantastic.
Also, while writing these few small paragraphs, I experienced several urges to play it again.

Persona 3 FES

Final one! Which is also kind of cheating a little. You see, Persona 3 came out for western audiences towards the end of 2007, which was followed up with what is essentially a director's cut during 2008, which is the FES version, apparently an abbreviation of festival. While it is the second RPG in the listing, it's also the only Japanese one. JRPGs as they're known, usually have the reputation of being cutscene heavy and having a very simple battle system to work with.

Both of these are true for P3, but the great thing is that it's all done so well. During most cutscenes, you often get responses that you can give. They have next to no impact at all on the actual narrative, but being able to take part a little is a good start at least.

As for the battle system, as Persona 3 is a spinoff of the Shin Megami Tensei series, it uses a slightly tweaked and simplified version of what that has. That system is one that greatly rewards exploiting enemy weaknesses, and managing to exploit all of the weaknesses of enemies in one battle allows your party to for an all out attack, creating a giant dust cloud with comic style sound effects coming out of it.

This is all mixed in with having a school life simulator, which means you have to maintain a social life, prepare for exams and save the world at the same time. School life simulators are fairly common in Japan, but they're a rarity over here. All of this comes with a flashy presentation and funky soundtrack. It's pretty damn awesome really.

I thought what I'd do was, I'd become one of those bloggers

Hello internet!

I'm not entirely sure where I'm going to go with this entry, let alone the blog itself, so I figured it'd be easiest to start with an introduction.
My name is Peter, most of my hobbies are to do with videogames, comics (I'm counting manga in there, they're pretty much the same thing anyway), movies and toys. I also like giant robots and maids.

So, this blog. The plan is to mostly focus on the aforementioned hobbies, as well as featuring whatever I consider to be cool, which I admit is vague, but it works. It's probably safe to say this will mostly have reviews, recommendations, things like that. Depends on what I can think of mostly.

Will it be any good? Hard to say. Will it even be worth reading? Even harder to say.
Regardless, I shall give it a try! On the remote chance that you enjoy it, then I shall consider it a success!