Hero to Zero

Surprising as it may seem, this blog is still active! Due to work commitments and so forth, I've had less time to play videogames and fawn over figures, and therefore, less to talk about on here. That has changed somewhat though! As I'm currently limited to handheld formats, I've been playing more games on those, and I've recently found that Phantasy Star Zero is ideally suited to short bursts of gametime.

I used to be a big fan of Phantasy Star Online, and it could easily be one of the contributors to me seriously becoming someone who loves Sega, as opposed to being a mere fan. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and eventually it was superseded by Phantasy Star Universe. It was an odd one, it may not have been a "bad" game per say, but nothing felt right about it to me. It seemed like a very different game, but still masqueraded as a Phantasy Star game. I wasn't keen, and didn't stick with it for long.

A year or so ago, Phantasy Star Zero came out for the DS. It sported an anime look this time, whereas Universe was more realistic. I never bothered with it though, Universe had done it's damage. However, I recently decided to give it a try, and I'm actually rather glad that I did.

While my time with it has been short, it seems as if Sega have taken what worked from Universe, added it to Online, and then simplified it. It works perfectly as a handheld version, and I'm looking forward to hopefully trying the multiplayer mode on it. It also isn't limited to local multiplayer only, as many portable games seem to be, so hopefully I'll get to experience that as well, if it's still being played by the masses at this point!

Saber rattling

It's been a while since I've made a post about figures, but it's probably time since I made a change from posting about videogames and nerded out in a different way. For a while now, I've been a fan of Type Moon, and by extension, Fate/Stay Night. While it was originally just a visual novel, it's branched out into a range of different media, such as anime series, manga, a few fighting games, books, and probably a few other things on the side.

I've usually maintained the view that you can judge a character's popularity by the amount of merchandise they have. With that in mind, it would easily be Saber, the main female lead of the series. I'm generally aware of this because I'm also a fan of the Figma range of figures, which Saber has a few of already.


The first ever Figma I saw was the standard look for Saber. At the time, I wasn't so sure about it. I was only just getting into poseable figures, but was limiting myself to the Revoltech range. It was modestly priced, but for some reason I didn't feel like going for it. Currently though, I'm quite strongly tempted to pick it up.


However, I really became tempted with Saber Lily, a very limited one that only came bundled with a limited print of the PS2 version of Fate/Unlimited Codes, a fighting game by Capcom. I think I've missed my chance with it now, as it's been out for some time, but I really like the look of Saber Lily. I've also not played Fate/Unlimited Codes, and as it's a Capcom fighter, I should probably rectify that. But despite missing out on that limited edition, there are others.


With the soon to be released Fate/Extra, there's a limited version that comes with yet another Saber, the imaginatively titled Red Saber. I've no idea what's the justification for her is, but generally it seems that if there's a new version of Fate, there's a new Saber to go with it. I'm actually quite tempted with Fate/Extra. Not only is it an alternate take on the original story, but it's also following Persona's current example and adopting a school life simulator. However, the limited edition is £100, and as nice as that figure is, I'm not sure I can justify it. I remember once hearing limited editions described as a trap, which seems very fitting in this example.


Perhaps the one I'm most tempted with out of the Figma Sabers though, is the newest, Saber Alter. Or Dark Saber, she seems to go by two names. I already have a Revoltech version of the character, but I've come to appreciate Figma more than Revoltech recently, due to the fact that they're generally better presented. I'm usually not keen on the "dark" versions of characters, but I've always been keen on this version of Saber. I could easily cave and add this to my ever growing collection. Of course, this may depend on how many other forms of Saber get the Figma treatment, I can easily see more being added, as long as she keeps getting different outfits.

Blogging about frontlogging

Last time I made an update, which was actually longer ago than I intended it to be, I talked about having to deal with a backlog. This time, I'll be talking about a frontlog! An esteemed friend of mine came up with the term. As a backlog is a collection of things you own and intend to complete, then a frontlog is essentially the same, with the only and important difference being that you don't own them yet. And you know what? I actually have one of those too. Although, for the sake of not writing this update forever, I'm going to only feature a sample.

Bayonetta

It irks me no end that I'm yet to play this. I'd been looking forward to it for some time, but due to circumstance, I've not been able to play it. My main reason has become one of intrigue, though. From the people I know who have played it, there seems to be an even split. The detractors have told me that it's just like Devil May Cry. Those who like it, tell me that it's just like Devil May Cry. I happen to be a fan of Devil May Cry, so if it's just like it, I'll be happy. Although, I'm more of a fan of DMC3 and 4 than the original, which I believe Hideki Kamiya was less involved in, yet he's the one who helmed Bayonetta. So, I'm almost after it just to find out how it plays. Odd feeling, that.

Mass Effect 2

Yet another game that's been released, but I'm unable to play. Probably a huge surprise that it's featured on here to people who know me as well. This is the sort of game that I actually could lose a few days if not weeks to, so there's the possibility that I'm going to wait until summer until I can truly spare the time to focus on it. Again, it's another one I've been looking forward to for a while, only this time I know more or less what to expect, what I'm able to do and so on and so forth, but because I'm just a massive nerd for all things BioWare, I seriously crave this.

Ace Combat: Joint Assault

The only portable game in this update, and also the first one that isn't actually released yet. I find it hard not to be a fan of Ace Combat, it's one of the few games I know that I could honestly describe as epic. It's also one of the very few Namco games I don't get disappointed by. I've been playing through Skies of Deception lately, the first PSP one, and on a gameplay level, I'm pretty sure I prefer it to Fires of Liberation, the most recent console entry, which is obviously going to be superior on pretty much everything else. With Joint Assault though, Namco seem to be utilising the PSPs potential as a multiplayer system, like with how Monster Hunter works. Up to four players can play in a campaign this time, with everyone's performance effecting what the mission outlines are for the other players. It does seem like the sort of game that has to be played with others, which might be difficult for me, but I think I'm already sold on the idea.

Lost Planet 2

Out of the people I know, not many have played Lost Planet, and those who have weren't too keen on it. I really enjoyed it, apart from the multiplayer aspect of it. Lost Planet 2, however, has co-op added to it, rather than simply being limited to deathmatch. The main attraction though is the sheer size of Akrid this time, with the demo featuring one that you actually had to go inside of to kill, shooting up it's insides as you progress through to... other parts of it. And that was just for the demo! I've got to wonder what will feature later on. I'm pretty sure it's going to be more enjoyable than the original, so it should be a solid game at any rate.

Super Street Fighter 4

I'm not actually sure if I need to explain why I want to play this, or if I know how to put it into words. I'm a solid fan of the series, I've even got to the extent of preordering it, which is an all too rare thing for me. I believe the last game I preordered was Pokemon Red, in a Woolworths. While I don't think I'm that great at the game, I've always come back to it, and I've always enjoyed it. With the addition of Street Fighter 3 characters, I'm very interested in seeing how they adapt to the system in 4, especially as one of them was the main character I used in 3, and have already decided to use in 4, just because I like how the character plays so much. I could easily ramble for a considerable amount of time about this, and already feel like I'm reaching for excuses to justify it, but I simply cannot wait for this game.