Final Fantasy II (GameBoy Advance) - Review

 

 Final Fantasy I and II Dawn of Souls @ Amazon.com

Official Nintendo Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls Player's Guide 

I am gonna be arrogant here and say that I am probably one of the very few people who has played all the way through FF2.

 There's a good reason for that. The game has long been touted as being overly difficult, in part to an "innovative" battle system where instead of leveling up the usual way, you instead....build stats. Agility, Defense, Mag Defense, HP, MP, etc. How do you gain these? Easy! You want more stamina (which in turn, builds HP), you...take a hit to the face! Want more MP? Use spells! Leveling up your spells? Repeated use.

 Somehow, it seems as if HP is given/leveled up more easily in this remake than in prior versions which may skew my review slightly.

It seems so intuitive, creative, and simple but in actuality, it's a practice in frustration. Everything's fine as long as you follow a fairly linear path and know who to talk to - speak to the wrong person, go to the wrong part of the world map, however, and you'll find yourself becoming increasingly acquainted with the "Game Over" screen. I had this happen repeatedly when I first busted this out years ago on the PS1 (sup Final Fantasy Origins) and almost broke my controller. I wasn't safe from it this time around either, but at least E was there to keep me in check. There was one night where I almost stopped and was ready to sell it so we could play something else.

As for the story, the main reason I play RPGs, it's a bit sparse. A real shame considering it has SUCH potential. I tend to gravitate towards those RPGs whose stories are a bit more believable, a bit more political (see: Suikoden <3). It's a very simple story - a group of people (presumably late teens) loses their parents in the war, join the resistance, and kill the Emperor - who has, of course, gone a little bit crazy and power hungry, offs some cities, the usual. And while there are a fair bit of characters that join you temporarily on your quest to help flesh things out, it simply...isn't enough. Those characters join briefly, give only a few sentences of back-story (and no side quests to flesh this out!) and...leave. Some die, some just vanish. I barely remember which is which. I'll sum it up this way - I spent 26 hours on this and still didn't know what my characters were fighting *for* - neither did the Emperor/Last Boss, who simply says upon his defeat "Who...who are you!?" Who are we, indeed.

This is where it all starts - Chocobos, fighting against an EMPIRE (see FF4, FF6, FF12, FF13), "Cid" spotting, crystals, etc. Surprisingly, that's where the similarities end. Already noted, the story is very shallow - it really even reminds me more of one of the spinoff series instead of an actual Final Fantasy (a la Mystic Quest, Final Fantasy Legends, etc.). The reason for this is most likely that Final Fantasy 2 was not produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi (Square, now Mistwalker) but rather by Akitoshi Kawazu who just so happens to be responsible for the SaGa series (including Final Fantasy Legends) and the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series.


I really wanted to like this game. Truly. There's so much potential (the characters, setting, and feeble interactions in the game) and it's just squandered. While playing this, it just didn't have that certain "feel" that most Final Fantasy games do. There's no sense of adventure, no endearing relationships, no real reason for killing the villain. It really feels like this game is a product of getting wrapped up in minutiae - the potential is there, but it just doesn't fit in. Maybe they just had too many ideas (or not enough...)? The GBA version does attempt to make up for this by having an epilogue of sorts included. Honestly though, since it runs parallel to the main quest (these characters go on an adventure while the main FF2 party is doing their thing), there isn't much it adds. It seems a little tacked on, after-thought attempt to enhance what little story there is and garner fans.





If you like Final Fantasy and you desperately need to play 2 for completion purposes - go at it. Save it for a weekend when you have little else to do, or a time when you have spare time to grind mindlessly (say, for example, when your roommate wants you to watch stuff with them, but you don't really want to). This is a title only for die hard fans of the series. I wouldn't at all recommend this to a casual gamer or even someone who plays every other RPG series - the story isn't there, the gameplay is frustrating at best, and there is little to no reward for your efforts.

-A

Review: Ys 7

Buy Ys Seven at Amazon.com

I don't use my psp for a whole lot other than the terrible and probably illegal task of playing old ps1 games. The handful of games I've bought for it probably have dust on them and the DS has more of my attention than ever.

That is, until I saw this little gem during one of my last days at *insert hellish corporate game selling store here*. I am a sucker for Limited Editions and Japanese RPGs. E, however, knowing my impulsive desire to covet and collect these sorts of things wouldn't let me buy it. He also unfortunately knows that I never play anything on my PSP.

Solution? Play it and see if I like it.

This was probably one of my greatest RPG experiences. It's, at the very least, on my Top 5 of all time.

Story
Isn't that the reason people play RPGs? It's mine, anyways. (I guess some people like fighting and grinding but those people are certifiably insane.) From what I understand now, all of the Ys games are different sections of the main character's, Adol, really long ass adventure. Knowing nothing of the other games or the series, I dove right in - it's very newcomer friendly. The story itself is incredible. There's something happening at every turn and nothing feels like a fetch quest, EXCEPT THE FETCH QUESTS THEMSELVES. E and I have been talking about how awesome certain ideas would be if we could make our own RPG - well, Ys 7 beat us to them. It's all absolutely incredible. You're an adventurer who's just passing by, the king wants to give you a task! Lo, it becomes more than it seems at first. Cliche, but played out oh so wonderfully.

Gameplay

Action RPG. Not quite hack n' slash. This game is comprised of having a party of three characters and you get three different attack types that are effective against the three different types of monsters. Go figure. So obviously you should carry one of each at any given time. But don't worry about who you want - just pick your favorites and go! Your reserve party members, get this, level up alongside you. You can only control one at a time though but it's easy enough to switch off. 

There are a myriad of special attacks that you learn through your weapons. And I love the shopping/equipment system - you can, of course, purchase your weapons and armor OR you can use the various materials to forge together even more powerful weapons/equipment/ and even rare items. This is the only way, in fact, to get everyone's best gear at the end of the game. And as for those items - this game DOES require a fair bit of strategy - with single person only items, you can carry a max of 5. For items that heal the entire party? Maximum of 3. This kind of sucked at the last boss when there were 3 forms and all my characters were split up to fight them. You just have to fight smarter. There is no endurance with spamming items to be found here.

Graphics/Sound

This game has some of the crispest (is that even a word?) graphics I've seen in a long time and a stellar soundtrack. I was pleasantly thrilled when new music played. Definitely worth getting just on that aspect alone.

Overall

This game is like a nice boy your BFF hooks you up with. He takes you out to your favorite spot for dinner and lets you order any and everything you want, gets you a nice bottle of wine, takes you home and makes the bed shake in a truly memorable way and then clobbers you over the head the next morning. I was so mad at the end of game boss fight. That's truly how it felt though and it was probably the best video game experience of my life. Or at least my best on the PSP.

A++++++++++++++++ Would date again.

-A

Review: Final Fantasy IV (Nintendo DS)

Buy Final Fantasy IV

For many years, I have had a torrid love affair with the fourth entry into the Final Fantasy series. As a young child, I downloaded a rom on an emulator and the rest is history. Life got in the way so I never got around to beating it. Per my usual habits, I'd pick it up, stop, pick it back up and have no idea where I was and then restart it. Rinse, repeat.

I then bought the Final Fantasy Chronicles 2 disk set - which I never beat because the FFIV disk was in my Playstation 2 when it was stolen. On that particular playthrough I was already to the Moon....and so outraged and disappointed that I dare not find another copy and try to pick it up again.

2005 - I pick up the Game Boy Advance version and the guide as an early Christmas present to myself. I did my other usual habit and ended up playing the hell out of it for a few days and then set it aside (I worked two jobs at the time).

Cue Square Enix deciding to not only bring it to DS but completely revamp it - I all but foamed at the mouth at the previews online. Game, preordered. When I picked it up with the guide I again tried to play it but got stuck and set it aside.

Today, after almost a decade of false starts, stops, and everything in between - I have beaten the beast.

Story
Shit is going wrong; terribly, terribly wrong. You are a Dark Knight (no, not Batman) who is following your just and righteous King's orders - murdering people for...crystals? No, that's not right. Too bad you asked questions and are exiled now! Four's story is a fairly realistic one, I believe - as realistic as magic and dragons and summons can be. You meet some new people along the way, you lose some too - but they leave an impression on you - they inspire you to be a better person, to set things right! The depth of every character's personality is refreshing in this game - even if they're with you briefly or for a while, you like them, you genuinely care about them - weird quirks and all. There are a few great albeit predictable plot twists but I genuinely enjoyed the story and that's probably why I have such a soft spot for it and have wanted to completely beat it through all those years.

Gameplay
Gameplay is quite a bit different this time around. That's what I like about the various ports/remakes of 4 - there's always something new; Though I wonder if perhaps they overdid it in this one. The augment system is a new but "not sure if want" addition. It's very easy early on to mess up and screw yourself for the rest of the game (That's what I did the first time I attempted to play through it). On the other hand, they're god-tier when done correctly. So it's got a very significant learning curve - this is a game where strategy is important and you can't just button mash your way through it. I died a LOT. Let me repeat - a LOT. And not necessarily in boss battles - some of the dungeons later on in the game will ass rape you and hard. You have to use a good mix of strategy and knowing when to cut and run.

Also, don't be afraid of the augment system - I wasn't really sure what I was doing until the middle of the game and I beat it pretty easily with my final five around 65-69. The augments also carry over into New Game + so if you have any you haven't used or are aiming for a perfect run, that's the way to do it.

Soundtrack / Graphics
The game's soundtrack is absolutely beautiful - I don't need to go on and on about that. If you love it as much as I do, go do yourself a favor if you haven't already and pick up the Celtic remix CD. Absolute heaven. The minorly tweaked and updated versions of songs for DS are incredible.

Graphics wise, I'm a huge fan of the remake. It was beautiful, well-drawn and had gorgeous colors.

Overall
I think this redesign was perfect for Nintendo and Square to introduce this beloved classic to a new generation. The updated graphics/story not only appeals to newcomers but draws out every last bit of nostalgia from an old fan who picks it up. If you have not played FFIV, do it immediately. If you have but have not played this version, pick it up now.  FFIV was THE first Final Fantasy game to combine it all - great storyline, great characters, the traditional battle system - all establishing what makes the series so popular and a fan favorite.

8/10

- A

Review: Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army (PS2)

This game has it all. Rasputin? Check. Terminators? Check. Demons? Check. Gundams? Check. Copious amounts of WTF? Check check check.

I thoroughly enjoyed this game. I'm so mad at myself for not playing it earlier. I remember very vividly buying it and Tales of the Abyss on the same day back in October 2006. I ended up beating Tales of the Abyss, but not touching this one until 2007 or so and only for about 20 minutes. Clearly, I made a mistake in not giving this a good solid play until this week.

Story
This game has everything I could ever want in a detective story. It starts with a dame (ho ho ho vintage talk!). Lots.

The titular character is a descendant of a long line of devil summoners (the 14th in fact), and is charged with protecting the Capital from evil demony bad guys -- basically a one-man Ghostbuster. As such you join up with the local fuzz, the Narumi Detective Agency, in order to run the beat and solve a mystery that begins to unfold the first day on the job: a young woman named Kaya Daidouji is abducted by robots dressed as soldiers. By the end of the game, you've fought Rasputin, walked straight into a bathhouse and punched a Yakuza leader, and square off against a battleship possessed by some ancient demon god.

Suck it, Holmes.

Gameplay

Unlike most games in the Shin Megami Tensei series (which are turn-based), Devil Summoner utilizes a system that is very much Resident Evil meets Pokemon: you have an action RPG way of fighting and you control various demons that you capture in tubes (read: elongated pokeballs). As your demons level up they get special attacks/moves that can help out a ton in battle. Some nullify particular elements, others do amazing attacks that can cause a significant amount of damage. Boss fights, like other SMT games, do require a lot of thought/strategy/skill; no button mashing here. I thoroughly enjoyed every boss fight, even the occasional one that made me throw my controller onto the floor several times. But I'll tell you what: never have I felt so satisfied in beating a boss as I do when it's one in an SMT game that I have had problems with. Most if not all of your problems come from a lack of planning vs. a lack of grinding.

Graphics/Sound

The character designs and the whole feel of the game are very unique and gorgeous. Kazuma Kaneko's back as the main designer and the whole game shows off his art style, which I personally don't mind. I was a little disappointed with Persona 3 and Persona 4 simply because the characters didn't have Kaneko's signature look. The whole period feel is very authentic - the game looks and feels very 1920s - and even the dialogue is spattered with little vintage phrases here and there. The soundtrack is a very good listen. It captures the vintage setting of the game well but still fits in very well with modern music. Honestly, if I still had an iPod, I'd probably buy the OST and transfer it to that just so I could listen to it every now and then.

Overall

This game was just the console game I needed to get my ass in gear on reviews. It had great detective elements (and everyone knows I love detectives....), a thrilling plot, lots of humor and was just fun to play. I've already started on the 2nd one in the series (which just came out last May!). I hope this ride with Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha is just as good as the last. If you don't own this game, buy it immediately (eBay~) and if you own it and haven't played it, go do it now! What are you waiting for!?

- A

Review: Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass

Beaten in less than a month!

Story:
You are back as the Hero of Time, sailing around the seas with a band of scurvy pirates. Again. The sea is churning, the wind is howling, everything is rosy - until A GHOST SHIP~! OH NO, Tetra is taken away! Time to save the princess again.


Game Play:
The game play is very intuitive though it doesn't come off that way at first. This is probably one of the only DS games I've played that's been entirely with the stylus - which can be a huge turnoff. I heard from many people that they once started this game and just "could not" play it BECAUSE of the stylus. The combat system is especially fun and challenging and I looked forward to each and every boss battle that I had to overcome - what initially started as a gimmicky, uncomfortable use of one of the special features of the DS evolved into something that felt so natural and exciting. I am now no longer against the principle of playing any game that used solely the stylus to move around the character.

Story:
What small part of story appears is very good, although loosely dispersed. I feel the game was severely deteriorated by doling out the actual story bits in such large spans, overusing the "go here, get x, return" system. Then again, that's really the core of the Zelda series. I didn't mind the various tasks - some were even funny though I began to feel real sorry for Link - I would be so mad if I couldn't get to the meat of a problem because I had to run a thousand errands for some person I just met like 2 seconds ago and really don't care about.. Really, there should be less "do shit for other people for thirty minutes to get 5 minutes of Link's story" filler.

Graphics
The graphics don't bring anything new to the table - they do the usual job of fitting the tone and overall feel of the game. A lot of people aren't fans of the cel shading graphics for Wind Waker and this game, preferring a bad ass Link to some childish one. I think it works really well in this capacity though, especially for a portable system.

Overall

I really enjoyed playing this game - the last Zelda game I beat was Twilight Princess and really that was me watching someone else play it. It had every bit of nostalgia that I've come to expect when I pick up a Zelda game and a good mix of stuff that felt very new, fresh. Though I'm not gonna lie - the story moves along way too slowly for me - I like to have something always happening - events unraveling at a good pace. And really at the end it began to feel like more of a chore for me to finish; too many sidequests, useless collecting, and mini games that are too hard - the SHOOTING GALLERY (...I almost broke my DS in a rage). As much as I feel like I love a Zelda game - (or i I want to like it) something always comes up to make it a less than stellar experience. Not enough to keep me from playing any title , but the fun wears thin early on - too many items to collect, too far to travel, etc. I'm glad I played this game, since it seems like Zelda games are really a staple to each and every Nintendo fan and the "game to play" for each Nintendo system but maybe in the future putting less filler (arbitrary quests, hard as hell minigames) in these games would make them better? Or maybe I'm just a wuss

- A

Review: Alundra

Too bad I didn't play this game to completion. One measly hour is really all I needed.

Imagine.

You are a single, hardworking mom. The year is 1997. You just bought your son the most rad kickin' system in town. You fought all those other bitches on Black Friday and you brought home the gold. You scored a Playstation 1.

The only thing is: He wants the new Legend of Zelda game.

Have no fear. Your friendly neighborhood game store service man is here to help. "Do not fear" he reiterates, "why don't you try Alundra. It is like Zelda but way better and awesome!"

That's three of your son's favorite things. Awesome, better, and way.


Game Play
VERY much like Legend of Zelda. E and I are big RPG collectors so I figured the usual - maybe some amnesia, some random or on screen battles. But no, it's a typical hack n slash. Alundra can do funny things like run in place with the triangle button, but the controls are fairly uncomplicated and simplistic. Almost too much so. And as for your "menu" and item selection? Nonexistent. You can equip an item into a slot and use it until it runs out. Really not all that interesting or worth delving into.

Story
You are a Dreamwalker. A noble title that gets you all on a boat and being called a pussy by fat drunken sailors. Nevermind that when you do hit the village? You're just sent into THE DREAM WORLD!!!~~~~~ to rescue some old man who will probably die the next day from cardiac arrest. Hmm..different worlds...Light and Dark world would you say?

Graphics
Your standard Playstation era graphics. Beautiful sprites. Glitchy areas though. The character face sprites though? A little creepy.

Sound
The music was probably the most interesting part of this game. It was very eclectic, even a little strange and unfitting in parts. At least it was bearable.

Overall
This is your standard Zelda clone. I'm not even a Zelda "fan" but when I open up a chest with a red diamond enclosed in a white diamond that gives me another life bar? Really? Not to mention the hack and slash aspect and the enemies resembling all too well the familiar Chu Chus from every Zelda game ever. If you're going to take on such a bold task as trying to be very similar to another or even "reinvent" it, you should make it immaculate.

FINAL SCORE: 2 (Mediocre)

It could very well be that Alundra just isn't my type of game. I had coveted it for years because of all the great reviews I had read - and I'm a collector. But less than an hour into it and I was bored out of my mind. E was falling asleep on the couch even. If we wanted to play Zelda, we would. I was hoping at least the story would pick up, but it didn't. There was no central plot, no reason for Alundra doing anything.

Second Opinion

No seriously, I want to be wrong about this game being a total bore just so I can get away with getting my money back on the secondary market. I guess there are a lot of people out there who love to cut the hell out of some bushes but are allergic to, I dunno, fresh air and sunlight. If this is you, let me tell you, this is your game: they even somehow managed to genetically mutate the local species of shrub so that it grows back the instant it leaves your sight. No joke!

Or maybe it's just boring because we're playing it on the PS3 and somehow all the fun got lost in emulation.