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Feb 9th, 2008 at 02:08:59 - Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (PSP) |
Gameplay 2:
My guess proved true as I entered battle right after continuation. The battles are very intense and satisfying. Though turn-based, the ability to let any character attack at any time within the player's turn allows for some amazing combos to be created. I am not fully sure how it works yet but it seem when the player strings an especially good combo, characters may preform a devastating finishing move. These finishers are over-the-top and amazing acting as a reward for great playing. The characters even yell out the name of their attack in true anime superfight fashion. My friend, who was bored by the story and cut scenes, rooted and jumped with excitement every time I used a super move to decimate/purify a zombie.
The enemies are strange and I don't know why I am fighting them but they attack me without a second thought. A crystallizing move lets me skip over enemy fights but normal contact takes me to a battle screen. The transition between overworld and battle screen is a bit too long. The minutes before a battle always feeling the longest for soldiers and that seems to have carried over, but not in a good way. Sure the anticipation builds up but the wait gets annoying after a few times. The same pause is apparent in the switch to the menu. I don't like having to wait a few seconds just to check how much life my characters have.
The story has not progressed much seeing as my second hour has been very battle filled. I even took the time to fully search the dungeon for hidden items before confronting the first boss. The boss battle was a good change because I could finally string long combos where minions would die halfway through. I do not understand the blocking system yet and while it was not necessary for this first boss, I assume it will become essential later on.
So far, the game has been very interesting and I plan to continue.
Design:
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, while an RPG game, has some very clever aspects to set it apart from the pack. First off, the art design in this game is simply amazing. To pack so much emotion into little sprites take genius. The characters yells, laugh, scream, cry, and express emotions that sprites rarely touch. The backgrounds are wonderful, using depth to create atmosphere and a full world beyond the linear path the player travels on. The CGI cutscenes, though infrequent, were well directed and brought more depth to Lenneth.I have never played a PSP game before but and am thoroughly impressed with the graphics.
The music is similar to many RPG's so far but the voice acting is new. I was very surprised when I heard my sprites talking to me, which I shouldn't have been in this era of games, but the voice actors could have done a tighter job. The awkward spaces between sentences and the sometimes wrong inflections slightly tug me away from the magic circle. The music sets the atmosphere well but breaks no new ground so far.
The level design is interesting is for there is a hidden platforming aspect to the game. While traversing through the dungeon, the player must dodge enemies and spikes to get the boss. If the player comes into contact with enemies they must fight and contact with spikes means a loss in health.
I have not used the menu very much so far but I plan to fully customize my characters soon as I start playing again.
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Feb 9th, 2008 at 00:57:55 - Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (PSP) |
Summary:
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is a story-driven RPG by Square Enix that was remade for the PlayStation Portable. In this game the player takes the role of Lenneth, a goddess who hears the pain of humans near death and guides the souls of the dead. The game implements a turn-based battle system with individual characters mapped to different buttons.
Gameplay:
A few weeks back I played the RPG The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and though it shares the genre title, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is on the opposite side of the spectrum. While Oblivion threw right into the game with no story, I am one hour into Lenneth and have only fought one battle. This game is very heavily story based. The only times I had control of the characters were when I had to walk from one cutscene location to another cutscene location.
That being said, the animations, CGI, and overall art is amazing. I sat in awe, enthralled by the beauty of this world presented to me, as the intro progressed. The voice acting is a little slow paced but helps match voices to the incredible character artwork. The stories of the characters themselves are very interesting but I'm positive there is much, much more I will learn. I have not found a character that I can connect with yet ( the swordsman is a bit to pugnacious and the girl too whiny and arrogant) but as Lenneth leads more to the land of the dead, my party shall grow and my favored character shall be discovered.
Thankfully the story is interesting for I have been exposed to almost no gameplay. With a boring story, I would have turned this game off long ago. The Norse mythology with Japanese culture mix is interesting for a setting but may grow forced in time. The visit to the Japanese restaurant was funny, a main character screamed for the manager at her raw sashimi, but I'd rather see inclusion through samurai party members and weapons.
As I have finally reached a save point, I assume some battle is to follow. I can't wait for this because the battle system seems very interesting so far.
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Jan 25th, 2008 at 21:44:17 - Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) |
Gameplay 2:
Another hour has passed and my friend and I still have not beaten the game. We can't seem to get past the second to last level. Even though we are stuck, we are still having a blast. Usually single player games are a solitary experience, or at least not appealing to an audience. This game, on the other hand, was brought into the lounge of my building just so we could fit everyone who wanted to watch. More and more people would come and shriek in terror as Luigi barely dodges fireballs and bullet bills.
From my room, I can hear the people in the lounge, waiting for me, singing the theme music from the game. Such memorable music stirs up happiness and memories with just one bar.
The game is a very different experience having a huge crowd of people cheering for you after every death-defying jump. Sadly, even with the wishes of many friends behind me, we still have yet to pass the level. Being persistent, my friend and I plan to get right back into it as soon as I finish typing.
Design:
The impeccable level design and dedicated attention to detail in Super Mario Bros. 3 proves that it more than deserves the title as one of the greatest games of all time. Floating bricks may not make much sense in our world but by the time world eight comes around, a non-moving floating block is a safe-haven. The levels become so intricate that only through true mastery may one pass though.
The art and music of the game changes to match the difficulty. The first few levels are very bright and happy-go-lucky. Smiling, my friend and I sang along to the tune as we rushed through level 1-1. The last world is covered in darkness, fire, and skulls. Ominous music intrigues the player but also strikes a chord of anticipation and worry.
Though the levels became insanely hard, I would not change anything in the level design. Fun is sometimes defined as "One more variable than can be handled" and Super Mario Bros. 3 exclaims that. Dodging an onslaught of cannonballs is hard enough but once that is mastered the player must fight another army in the air.
The game's controls are very simple to learn and thankfully too because absolute control over the Mario brothers' jumps is needed. The simplicity of the controls also have a strange enrapturing effect to them. I wanted to jump when Luigi jumped. I leaned forward when Luigi ran forward. Who is really controlling who?
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Jan 25th, 2008 at 20:21:24 - Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) |
Super Mario Bros. 3
Summary:
Super Mario Bros. 3 changes up the Mario formula by adding new aspects, such as suits and holdable items, and many, many secrets all the while keeping a strong platforming base.
Gameplay:
Even before I could turn on the game I was smiling. I grew up playing Super Mario Bros. 3 late into the night with my father so I have more than a few fond memories. That being said, I had not touched the game in over 10 years so it felt good to revisit my roots. I asked a friend to play with me and take the place as Mario. Even when I was little I would only play with Luigi. Mario's poor brother was always overshadowed so imagined winning as him would award some lime light for the lime plumber. So once my Mario found some time, we fired up the game and got to work saving the princess.
That being said, this is an exemplary example of a pick up and play game. Very little story is given, as is with instructions. The game is very straight-forward and intuitive; the player just knows what to do within a minute. Though we hadn't played in a long time, we still knew where many of the exploitable secrets were. With the help of two flutes, we were in the eighth world in under five minutes. I always loved the way Nintendo packed hundreds of secrets into the game. Surprisingly, one was just discovered a week ago, eighteen years after the American release.
The game is absolutely a blast to play and it really enraptures the players. My friend and I cheer when we win and cringe when we fail. One particularly hard level in world eight was awarded with ten high-fives when passed. Mario 3 has a really good difficulty flow. The first few levels are a breeze and great for beginners to get used to timing jumps while the last few levels are so hard that 45 minutes can pass and two experienced gamers can still be stuck on the same level.
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SkyKing has been with GameLog for 16 years, 10 months, and 11 days |
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