Videogames and Politics

When I finally completes Tales of the Abyss 3DS last week, I felt like a better person. After a week passed, I realized why I felt this way. I actually played a game with a great story that was once and can still be relevant to our society today. Now, it might not speak to gamers who had the luxury of being conscience in the early 2000's, but the story does speak to the rest of us who knew of the political issues of the time. Tales of the Abyss tackles issues like human cloning and international diplomacy from a threat of environmental destruction and the attack from another nation. Minus the issue of the threat of war, environment and human cloning topics were big in the early 2000's. Actually, both were a wedge issues in both the 2000 and 2004 elections in the United States. This game really does give us a view point on how difficult these topics are. Take the cloning issue in this Tales game. Do the clones have the right to exist, are clones nothing more than bodies to use in war, or can clones really be their own person? Topics like this really drove the game to be one of the better RPG's in terms of story. Not that the battle system wasn't awesome in it either.

My main point is that Mixing videogames and politics topics do make for great stories. It allows the current generation of gamers to see a different perspective of how these issues might affect a character and his overall development while being able to relate to the issue themselves as real people. It also allows new gamers and people who were not conscience during that time to understand what shaped our current society. Kids who were born in the mid-90's and later would not properly understand how big of an issue human cloning was in the early 2000's. Heck, being a teenager did not mean I fully understand the implications of all these topics. Really, games are a great way to show people current and former political situations. Plus, who doesn't feel involved in a games story when it uses topics that we are familiar with? Anyway, mixing politics and videogames does create a great story. As long as they don't get too carried away with it.

Soul Sacrifice Demo: My Impressions

I was left with a choice in this game. Do I sacrifice or save this tainted wizards life? I had made my choice and sacrificed him to gain new destructive powers. I was ready to continue to the next mission, no matter how brutal the next encounter will be on my character. I was armed with mostly ice spells and healing spells to tear my opponents up. I knew the next battle would be brutal.

It actually was pretty hard. It took me a solid 17 minutes to take down the Giant Harpy. Oh yeah, this giant harpy had a fat woman's face. No, this was not part of the main stories harpy either but a trials boss. I had used up a lot of my spells before this beast went down. I was basically clinging on to life thanks to my A.I. allies. Things definitely got harder after that because I had to take down a Cerberus and it's tough. I had to use up all my magic, burn my skin for a really powerful spell. and sacrifice an ally just to beat this monster. If the rest of the game pans out like this, I am going to be in for a fun nightmare.

My overall impression of the game has been positive. I am enjoying the Monster Hunter-esqe feel to the game without it actually being Monster Hunter. I am loving the fast pace, magic slaughter-fest this game brings to the Vita. I like that I can choose to go all ice or fire based magic but still use the similar basic magic as other elemental wizards. The magic is pretty unique and if timed perfectly, can be pretty devastating to the monsters. I also like the aesthetics in this game. The colors--even though a darker tone--are very vivid and the costumes are fashionable for a videogame. I can even tell the difference between my character and another person's character during battle. The worlds are beautifully crafted and the enemies are fearsome looking. I find the detail in this game to be A+ material for a handheld. Finally, the controls respond well. I honestly had no problems attacking or moving my character around. I just wish they would add a jump button to this game. Here is hoping for one in a future update

This game has so far reeled me in. I am enjoying this more than most games I have played in recent memory. I find it to be a great alternative to Monster Hunter if you are into faster moving battles. The full game comes out April 30th so be prepared to be sacrificed!

My Second Game: Tales of Graces f

I finally managed to get to the second game I need to finish. I decided to tackle the Tales games first so I am working on Tales of Graces f. It make sense to beat games I already started anyway.
I do have to say that this franchise is still as good and corny as I remember. The Tales series still has some of the best fighting to date. You get to do crazy magic stuff while free roaming around a battle area. The music scores are still great. It pumps you up during battle or reflect while traveling through a snowy city. The characters are still corny but unique. They are fantastical and yet, bring something that is relatable to you.
Okay, time for me to continue to grind!

Some Great News for the Nintendo 3DS

A new Legend of Zelda game has been announced for the Nintendo 3DS. It's about time that an original Zelda game was made for this system. It's not like I don't enjoy the ports, but I wanted an original title to the series. All anyone knows so far is that this is a sequel--or assumed sequel--to A Link to the Past and that it's a top-down view. I am excited and cannot wait for this game to come out. While we are all waiting, the Oracle and Ages came will be in the eShop in May...or so I have read. Here is a video of the new game below.

P.S. A Mario Party game has been announced as well for the 3DS.

A Beautiful Day and Videogames

Sorry for the long hiatus from blogging. It was a long week and I haven't really been near a computer. Anyway, I hope everyone had an epic weekend of videogaming and enjoying the fantastic weather...well at least if you live in the the American northeast. I think today would be a perfect day to sit outside and play some Nintendo 3DS or Playstation Vita while photosynthesizing from that big 'ol Sun that's hanging outside. That's all for now.

What's So Great About Handheld Consoles?

A long, long time ago, my mother bought me copy of Pokemon Blue and a Gameboy Color. I spent countless hours catching monsters and battling gym leaders. I was even able to battle with friends through a cable link cord. Eventually, I began to build my library of games up with instant classics like the Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX and Super Mario Land 2. When the time came to upgrade, I bought myself a Gameboy Advance. Great games like Golden Sun and Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced were developed for this system and thrown into my giant library of videogames. Fast forward to today and now I own both a Nintendo 3DS XL and a Playstation Vita. I love playing on the both of them as well.

What made handheld consoles great and what makes them still great? For one, they are accessible no matter where you are located. When it comes to accessibility, that one is an easy answer. I can bring these bad boys with me and play. I don't care with what my friends playing on his Xbox? Fine, I can just reach for my 3DS and play Fire Emblem: Awakening or turn on my Vita and play some MLB: The Show '13. I am going from New York City to Washington, D.C. and staring out the window bores me. Not a problem with handheld games because I can play them right on that train for four hours. Yup, they are pretty awesome like that.

Believe it or not, handheld consoles have a pretty awesome game library. I mean, you get the Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, Monster Hunter,...and you get the point. These games are some of the best you will play too! Take for example Pokemon. Yeah, that sums up the greatness of portable systems. Even Persona 4: Golden on Playstation Vita was one of the best games put out last year. I could continue to name games all night, but I think everyone gets the point.

Lastly, they are affordable. That's right, they are affordable (see my last blog post). One thing I have always found convenient is the fact that I don't need to pay $300.00 for a videogame system to get the same quality. I can pay much less. I also don't need to spend money for extra controllers, adapters, wotcha-ma-callits, and miscellaneous things. Also, game are far cheaper and they can be just as entertaining. So I hope that answers my own question.

When is Owning a System Worth it?

While deciding on what Tuesday's classic game should be about, a thought popped in my head. When is it worth owning a specific system, or to phrase it more concisely, how do I know I got my worth out of a videogame system? This is a question that I think people really should contemplate. Why? Because systems are not cheap. Even a new PS3 or Xbox360 will cost you  $199.99-$299.99. We also need to keep in mind that many games are released on multiple systems as well. That can easily diminish the value of owning two separate systems. Well, I am going to do my best to argue when a system is worth the value you paid for it.

1. You Completed at Least a Few Games
One way you know you got your value from the system is if you played and completed at least four games. I know, that isn't a lot of game to complete for an expensive piece of hardware. Let's be honest though, who has time to complete a full library of games? Think about it, many of us have work, school, and an active social life. It's not easy to balance those aspects of life while still indulging in your favorite hobby. A lot of the time, you only get around an hour or so to actually play. It's just not easy to do because games can be difficult and time consuming. Basically, I found that I got my worth out of my systems when I could at least finish four good games.

2. When System Exclusives are Great Games
All systems have their own exclusive games. Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo all have their own franchises that define their success and pleasurable returns. Xbox has Halo and Fable; Playstation has Uncharted and Ratchet and Clank; and Nintendo has the Legend of Zelda and Mario. As I am naming these franchises, I hope you are understanding the point I am making. The purchase of a console is worth it when the exclusive franchises are always great to play.

3. Ability to Play with Friends
What's the fun of videogames when you can't share an experiences with your amigos? Not a very fun one. I won't lie, I am a fan of single player games but I still enjoy indulging in a good game of Madden or Borderlands. Now, I understand there are online communities to find people and play co-op or versus, but it just doesn't feel the same when you are turning your friend's quarterback into mush. If I find that it is accessible and even easy to play online or on the same console as a buddy, that system is worth owning.

4. Accessibility and Ease to Play
Having the accessibility and ease to play a system is very important. When you need to type in numerous passwords and wait for numerous updates, you must begin to question was this system worth your time and money. I am not one to sit around for two hours and wait for a game or system to update. If updates are a reoccurring event that takes some time, then it might be a system you want to avoid. It's the same with passwords. I honestly--and I am sure many people feel the same--don't want to sit around and type in passwords to play a game. It's redundant and it's pointless. If any system makes you do that, take a pass on it. Luckily, most of the system updates for these consoles are quick and painless.

5. Cost
You knew this topic would come up. When it comes to buying anything, the cost matters. Why pay $500.00 for a new system when you could wait a year and possibly pay less? This question is relevant with all the new systems that came out and are coming out. Is it worth paying $300.00 for a Wii U when there are little titles to compensate the price tag? Is it worth dishing out for a PS4 when Sony is known to support their systems up to ten years? It's not an easy decision and it sometimes falls down to costs. Can you budget a new system or do you need to save up for it? Would it be okay to own an older system and wait for a price drop on the newer system, essentially spending more in the end but having the ability to save up for it? Do you just forget about it because it's too expensive for you? I can't answer this one for you, but it is something you need to think about.

Ranking the System by this Criteria 
*For the purpose of this blog, I am ranking current systems that are in the market. I don't know much about the new systems like most, so that will be for a later date.
**This is also my opinion so don't go crazy because I found one system to be better. 
***I can only speak English and so Japanese only games are not included.  

 Nintendo 3DS/DS - 21/25
I am lumping both these systems together since the 3DS can play exactly like a DS. I am also not basing this on performance or graphics because that's not a deal breaker to me. There is a reason why these handheld devises sell so well. It's because they give you the best bang for your buck. That's why I am giving the 3DS/DS 4 points in cost. It is an affordable system with cheap games. The price of a 3DS XL is still a bit high, so it loses a point there. I have beaten plenty of quality titles on this system to proudly give it 5 points. I mean, they have Fire Emblem, Mario, and Legend of Zelda. It would be unfair to give this system less than 5 points in exclusive games based off of that statement. Playing with friends can be a hassle, so I am giving this one 3 points. First you have to find friends to play and then you have to deal with really poor internet connectivity. A lot of the older games needed a certain security protocol that no one really uses anymore. That means you had to manually change to it--I think it was WPA--and that's a big hassle if you don't know anything about computers. The same goes for the 3DS. If you want to play DS games online, you need to change what internet security you are using. Yuck! Luckily, newer games don't have this issue but that doesn't change the score. Lastly, the accessibility and ease get an obvious 3. It would have been perfect if not for the touch screen making some games difficult. I mean Kid Icarus: Uprising comes to mind with that. I rarely need to update my 3DS/DS and I never need to use a password. It does take some time to download updates though, so that hurts its cause. The 3DS/DS is a system worth owning if you enjoy playing videogames. It has a huge library and the system looks pretty nice too.

Xbox360 - 19/25 
I know, an American ranking the Xbox360 high on the list. In all fairness though, this system was great. Game completion on this system received a 5. I probably have beaten over ten quality titles on this system alone. What really helped the Xbox in my ranking is that the exclusives were much better, and therefore, received a 4. With the front runners of the system being Halo and Fable, you can't really go wrong. It would have probably scored a perfect if Fable III and some Halo installments didn't suck. Playing Xbox with friends can be a hassle and received a 3. My biggest problem was the fee to play online. That doesn't make it easy to play with friends who don't live around the corner. Money is tight and that can be the difference between a new game or a year of multiplayer. Personally, it was not worth the price for me since I rarely played online unless it was Madden, Halo, or Borderlands. I don't play a single system everyday and I play multiplayer on a single system even less than that. You get my point. The accessibility/ease for this console received 4 points from me. I honestly never wait for this system to update and even having to do that is rare. I did take a point off for passwords. If you lose your password, you are in trouble. Lastly, the cost only received 2 points. Even for how old this system is, it's still expensive. A 250 GB Xbox360 will run you $299.99 compared to the Playstation 3's 500GB HDD for the same price. A 4GB is $199.99 and that's still expensive. The Xbox hurts itself in costs, but is overall a great system to own.
 
Playstation 3- 18/25
I am giving the PS3 only 18 points. I was able to finish more than four amazing games for this system, earning 5 points in that category. The system exclusives only received 3 points since none of them really stood out to me. Infamous is boring as all fuck and Uncharted is an okay game...not great. What saves this system are titles like Valkyria Chronicles and Demon Souls, since both are great system exclusives. Actually, two more categories received 3 points. Those would be accessibility/ease and the cost. The PS3 updates constantly, and some of the updates can be time consuming. That's annoying. What saves it is the fact you don't need to type in a password a bunch of times. At $299.99 for white bundle, the cost of the system is still high for its age. That's enough to buy a new Wii U. The bundle is good and the HDD is huge, so it's a saving grace for the system. The last category is the ability to play with friends, which got 4 points. Despite the lag you get sometimes, online is free to play. That is a big money saver and makes it easier to face your friends...if they own the system. The PS3 might have scored average from me, but it's still a good investment due to the longevity of Sony's systems.  


Playstation Vita - 15/25
I want to start out by saying that I really enjoy my Vita. That being said, it is not the best system out right now, all though it's beginning to gain traction. For completion of games, I give it only 2 points. I have only finished one game on this system. I still have yet to finish Gravity Rush or even pick up Uncharted. The exclusives on this system are not really there besides Gravity Rush and AC: Liberation. You can't include Persona 4 Golden since that was a port of a Playstation 2 game. I know there are exclusives for this system but they are all in Japanese or not out yet, so I am only giving it 2 points in that category. The ability to play with friends is actually easy with this system. You can either go ad hoc or internet connection. I give it 4 points only because not many people own a Vita yet. Accessibility/ease get an easy 4 points. I never have to wait for my game to update or type in multiple passwords to access my stuff. I am able to transfer files between my PS3 and Vita with ease, all though that can take a bit when they are full games. Lastly, the cost gets a 3. What really kills the cost of this device is the price of memory cards. They are insanely expensive. It can cost you between $80.00-$99.99 for a 32 GB memory card. Yeah, that's insane. The cost of games are cheap though since they vary from $4.99-$39.99. The system is expensive though, costing $249.99 for just the wifi device. If you don't go for a bundle, the cost will bite you in the rear. I give it a 3 because the bundles and games are its saving grace.

Nintendo Wii U - ??/25
If you already have the Wii, you are better off waiting for more updates and games. This system only has a few titles, and most are already on other consoles like Batman. The game pad is attractive, but not enough to lure me in for a basic package at $299.99. I know little of the online but I have caught wind that there have been issues with it so far. It seems that there are a lack of online multiplayer games due to the shortage of actual games. Since this system has only been out for a little while, it might be best to wait a few months to see if Nintendo will get the ball rolling on this system or if it will fail.

As you can see I have listed in order what systems are worth getting. I hope this helps you in deciding if you want to pick up a console now or wait and see its overall future. Well, minus the PS3 and Xbox360 since they have been out awhile.

Wait What?

As I try and gather an idea to blog about today, I came across a peculiar sequel to a game. One is actually being made for a game called, Conception: Please have my Baby. I had to stop for a second and read the title again. I was not mistaken. Why do games like this exist? What makes it worse is that Conception's sequel will also be released on the Nintendo 3DS. Yes, that's right. A handheld owned by a company that generally releases family friendly games.

This game is a dungeon crawler in which you conceive children with 12 different maidens. You are supposed to save a world by having magical newborns with these maidens. Oh yes, you are a high school student and from what I read, you have already knocked up your cousin who is also Virgo. I feel like a pervert after reading and searching for pictures and videos of this game to show. Besides wiki, it is tough to find information about this game since it was never released outside of Japan.

This was the only video I could find after typing in the title for the game. I saw more real births then I needed today. I couldn't stomach anymore so this is all you are getting. 

 

Panzor Dragoon

Panzer Dragoon

One of my first experiences in a third-person shooter game was this fantastic classic for the Sega Saturn. You rode on a blue dragon and went through six level to chase a black dragon. To take down enemies, you had a pistol with the ability to look in all directions, or your dragon, which used homing missiles. As you progressed through the levels, you find out that this world is in a post-apocalyptic world under the control of the Empire and that they have advanced technology. I am going to put it simply and state that you fly, kill things, and beat bosses. If you are able to find a copy of this game that isn't over $100.00, I suggest you pick it up and play. Just a warning, when I played this game in 1995, I found it to be quite challenging, so be prepared.

Dynasty Warriors 8

I am feeling fabulous!

Dynasty Warriors 8 will make its debut July 16th in the West according to Push Square and will feature a slew of new characters and modes. We will also see the return of free mode, which was probably the best part of the game for some of us. It will feature "what if" scenarios to spice up a story we are all to familiar with and bring a more enjoyable story overall. I hope it's really spiced up. I am pleased to know that the series will return to English dialect because I hate reading when I am mindlessly playing videogames. I am also excited to play as the new characters appearing in the game. These characters include Zhang Bao, Guan Xing, Wen Yang, and a few others. This will probably be the largest Dynasty Warriors game to date in terms of character numbers. I mean honestly, there are a lot of characters to play as in this game. I am looking forward to this new installment and pray that we get a physical copy here in the states.

Nintendo News: Monster Hunter 4 and More.

When I write these blog post, it seems that I always favor Sony. Today I have decided that I will focus on Nintendo.

After a big release month for Nintendo, it seems that releases will be quiet until the summer. It's not an entirely bad thing either. After a few months of dozens of title releases, it will give us time to actually beat these games before starting a new one. I am pleased to tell you Monster Hunter fans that the fourth installment will be out in Japan for the 3DS this summer. That's right, a new installment to slay beast and all that jazz. Here's a video I found on the net for you:

I am not going to lie, it actually looks pretty cool and this is coming from someone that doesn't care for these games all that much. If it is localized, I might actually pick a copy of it up as long as it has online.

Mirrors?

In the realm of the new Pokemon games, more news about the game will be released on April 6th. Knowing how Pokemon news generally goes, it will probably be about one or two new monsters and how the world will work. Even I am a bit curious because Pokemon has always been in 2D and a top view. Now with 3D and third-person, I wonder how it will work out.


This year will be an excellent year for the Nintendo 3DS. With all these awesome title releases and what not, how can it not be?